Friend faces charges in fatal shooting of Saint Vincent student

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Charges were filed Tuesday in the shooting death of a 23-year-old Saint Vincent College student who police say was accidentally killed by a childhood friend last month during a late-night party at a house in Erie.

Aladin Jojic, 23, of Erie, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment for allegedly firing the shot that killed Abram Sorek, a senior communication major at the Catholic school in Latrobe.

According to an affidavit filed by Erie detectives, Mr. Sorek and Mr. Jojic were out with a group of friends at a local bar April 12 and went back to Michael Wilcko’s house on Kahkwa Boulevard at about 1:30 a.m.

Mr. Jojic told Mr. Wilcko he was considering buying a gun, and Mr. Wilcko brought out a .40-caliber Glock, removing the magazine before handing it to Mr. Jojic.

Later, Mr. Wilcko put the magazine back in the gun and asked Mr. Jojic to bring the gun back inside, telling him it was now loaded, the affidavit says.

As he brought the gun inside, Mr. Jojic told police he started “playing with it,” pointing it in Mr. Sorek’s direction, pulling the slide back and firing the gun, striking Mr. Sorek in the head with a bullet.

Detective Sgt. Paul Bizzarro said Mr. Jojic and Mr. Sorek were longtime friends who had gone to middle school together.